Finding Thanks Even in Dark Times
by mikedark2
Summary: Warning: Already been told Tamara is OOC in this. I don't care, I like my version better! Remember the comments about not having Thanksgiving in the Enchanted Forest? Well, this is Modern Earth, and Henry likes the idea of having a good Thanksgiving with his family. But with these maniacs, can that really end well?
1. Invitation to Your Heart

Chapter 1: Invitation to Find Your Heart

Regina stood at the door, looking at it pensively. Why was she here? Why would anyone invite her anywhere, and why would she want to go right now? She was still mourning, after all. She didn't really want to interact with anyone right now. She just wanted to be alone with her pain. But yet she had been invited, and here she was.

She knocked on the door softly, tensing herself. The door swung open, and Emma was standing there smiling at her.

Emma said to her, cheerfully, "Hello, Regina. I'm glad you could make it. Come in." She then stepped out of the way.

Regina was a little taken aback that Emma was being so nice to her. She was suspicious of that, and stuck her head in tentatively. She was about to sigh and walk in, when she realized she could see into the dining room, and saw Mary Margaret/Snow sitting there. She yanked her head out and shook it vehemently. "No."

Emma looked a little confused at first, then hurt. "Huh?"

Regina's eyes narrowed dangerously as she shot an icy glare at Emma. "I'm not sure what's up, but no. You should no by now that if she's here, then I'm not. Whatever you two plotted against me, I'm not giving either of you the satisfaction."

Emma's shoulders sagged as she said, "Come on, really?! Will you stop being the embittered, paranoid bitch for once and just come in here! Seriously, this was all Henry's idea. He spent the past two weeks planning this. Are you going to blow it for him?"

Regina paused for a second to think about that. She could just walk away, and invite Henry for a small private meal later. She didn't really do the whole Thanksgiving thing anyways, as she didn't think she had much to be thankful for right now. But she didn't want to let him down. If there was one thing she always desired, it was Henry's affection. So she swallowed her pride and came in...

...And immediately saw just how cramped the dining room really was. Gold was here with his son and Belle, Charming and Snow were here as well. She looked at the door again, then at Emma like she was accusing her of lying and setting a trap for her, until she felt a hug around her midsection, and looked down to see Henry wrapped around her. She bent down to her knees and hugged him back.

Henry smiled at her and said, "Thank you. Thank you for coming."

Regina smiled back at him, and said, "Look, I don't know what's going on. You're going to have to explain it to me. But if it's for you, I'll endure it."

Henry almost laughed. Of course Regina would suspect something. But he'd started to get wise to how to manipulate the master manipulator himself. He knew the one place Regina's heart was still pure. "Honestly, it's nothing. It's just a Thanksgiving dinner that myself, Mom, and Grandpa put together."

Regina looked up at Charming, who was doing what he always did...be a charmer, treating the other guests to his dazzling smile and trying to entertain them with bad jokes. Even Gold seemed amused...or bemused? "Are you really calling him that?"

Henry said nonchalantly, "Well, he is."

Regina couldn't contain her laughter, a laugh that for once was genuine, without malice or bitterness. "Henry, I know he is, but he and your mom are the same age! I don't think you can call a 28 year old 'grandpa', honey!"

Emma smiled at the scene, and then noticed her father beckoning her towards the kitchen. She helped pull them up and said, "Duty calls. Go and make yourselves at home."

Regina and Henry made their way to the table, sitting next to each other, across from Snow and from Charming's empty seat. Snow looked at Regina, and shifted uncomfortably. Her husband, grandson, and daughter hadn't really explained things to her either, and certainly hadn't told her Regina was coming. She shot her grandson a confused look, and Henry shrugged at her.

Regina was trying to not pay attention to Snow, trying to remain civil for Henry's sake. She was instead looking at Gold and Belle. Certainly, Emma couldn't hold any particular fondness for them, so why were they here? She could see Neal/Baelfire at the other end of the table, presumably by Emma's seat, but why couldn't she have just invited him and not his meddlesome father and his precious beau?

Her thoughts were broken by Charming and Emma walking out, Charming with the now carved turkey and Emma with the mashed potatoes, the dressing, and the cranberry sauce.

Once everything was laid out, Emma cleared her throat. "Excuse me. I have a confession to make. You see, we sort of were dishonest to all of you."

Charming cleared his throat next, continuing from Emma. "You see, Henry came up with this idea. He suggested that family is the thing to most be thankful for in life. Sadly, his family happens to be all of us...a brood that has a lot of issues, let's say. So, he thought a good Thanksgiving dinner would be a way for us to clear the air and try to come to terms."

Regina looked down at Henry, who looked up at her. She whispered to him, "You little sneak."

He whispered back to her, "I learned from the best."

They glared at each other for a second, then slowly smiled, then were about to start laughing, until there was a bang at the table. They turned to see a displeased looking Gold starting to stand up...


	2. One Does Not Need to be Blood

Chapter 2: One Does Not Need to be Blood to be Family

Everyone was staring as Mr. Gold stood up, startled and confused. His gaze seemed to settle on Regina, his tone even but menacing. "I must apologize, Ms. Swan, I but I am not 'family'. I claim my own, and that is my son and Henry, but I am not family with anyone else here. Least of all this one, who has been nothing but a nuisance to me the entire time I have known her."

At that, Regina bolted upright, her eyes narrowing as she returned Gold's glare. "Do you really want to play this game with me?"

Belle was trying to get Gold to sit down again, while Snow tried to reach across the table with the turkey and diffuse the situation. "You know, the food's pretty good and we really should eat."

They both turned to her, looking at the food, but chose to ignore her. They continued to stare each other down.

Emma put her head in her hands as Neal rubbed her shoulder, before Charming stood up and walked over to her to do likewise. She whispered to them both, "This is a disaster and we're not even 5 minutes into things."

Snow was still trying her best to break things up, continuing to wave the food at the two combatants futiley.

Regina finally sighed, deciding that this wasn't worth her time or effort right now. She sat down, taking the turkey from Snow, but she was clearly still agitated.

Gold sat down too, looking apologetically at a miserable looking Henry, who crossed his arms silently and shook his head in disappointment. He didn't feel like an absolute fool yet, but he was questioning why he expected anything better from this lot he called his relatives.

Slowly, the food got passed around, and everyone started eating. Regina had to admit that the food was in fact really good. The turkey was juicy, the cranberry sauce was sweet and tart, and the dressing had just the right amount of sage to it. She knew. Food was a forte of hers, most famously for her casting spells and poisoning it, but she also understood the mechanics of how to make a great meal and prided herself on her culinary skills. She looked down at Emma, and didn't bother to question if she made the bulk of the meal herself or not, but instead silently thought that even though Emma was her step-granddaughter and not her relative by blood, somehow she must have instinctively passed those skills to Emma. And she smiled again.

That was, until Snow spoke. Snow beamed at everyone, that sweet, naive smile that always got under Regina's skin, as she said, "You know, I'm happy we're all together. I don't think I could ask for anyone else I would rather have done this with."

Snow noticed Henry looking at her and making the "cut" motion with his hands, and suddenly realized that there could sadly be no second take as Regina stood up again, walking out of the room and trying to promise herself she wouldn't make another scene in front of Henry, but her spite wouldn't let her and she stormed back in like a possessed banshee, throwing her water into Snow's face.

She growled out in an almost feral voice, "Of course you wouldn't, because you've never had someone taken from you. Especially not by someone you once considered your friend, someone that you loved. No, you've never felt that pain, so of course you couldn't understand. You just stand there in your naive innocence, as though you imagine yourself to be some immaculate angel untouched by your own actions, and assume your happiness has to be everyone else's or else that person must be evil, because it's evil to not be happy. And that's why I hate you, you ignorant little child! You can claim ignorance with what happened to Daniel if you want, but you know what you did to my mom, and you don't feel sorry for what happened. You might cry about upsetting me. They could be crocodile tears or genuine. But in truth, you got what you wanted, and I'm never going to forgive you for it. And what's worse, you promised me that I would get my mother back! That I would get her love! And it was all a setup!"

Charming stood up to defend Snow, when Regina turned on him. "And you...you're a lousy husband to not know what she was doing! So don't try to stand there and protect her innocence. You're failure as a man makes you just as culpable as her."

Emma couldn't let her father being verbally emasculated stand, and jumped up to try to defend both her parents, when the door swung open and two more people, who weren't really guests but did come bearing gifts, walked in. An older voice arose above the din and shouted out, "WILL YOU ALL JUST SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET?!"


	3. Wolves at the Door

Chapter 3: Wolves at the Door

Everyone stopped talking and turned towards the front room as Ruby and Granny walked in, holding pies. Neither one looked pleased. Granny was about to speak when Ruby cut her off and said, "Don't worry, I got this. You don't need to occupy yourself with this when you know we got customers at the diner that need you."

Granny looked concerned for a second, asking, "Are you sure about this, dear?"

Ruby rolled her eyes and said, "YES! Now go on. We can't keep other people waiting." She sweetly but persistently pushed her older grandmother out of the apartment before slamming the door shut and locking it, then making a bee-line back to the dining room. She glowered at the assembled guests before passing around the pies.

"Okay, so we got one pumpkin, one sweet potato, and we can all guess who ordered the damn apple." She practically threw them, the pumpkin going to Snow, the apple of course to Regina, and the sweet potato to Neil.

Once the official business was done, she crossed her arms over her chest, shifting her glance between Snow and Regina, making both shift in their seats uncomfortably. "Why don't you two just throw down and be done with it."

They both stared at her in shock, mouths agape, both going to protest at the same time when they were both cut off. "I'm being serious about it. If this issue is really between the two of you, then screw the magic, screw the curses, screw all that metaphysical shit. It might just be the wolf in me, but some problems can only be solved by getting physical. And for you two, that time was years ago. Hell, if you want me to, I'll referee the damn thing. We can charge admission and everything, donate the money to charity, whatever. I know it would make a lot of people in town happy to finally have this shit done and over with. Because if you two don't figure something out soon, then you're going to kill each other, and the rest of us with you."

She then walked over to Henry, who looked mortified by everything, and patted him on the shoulders. "And I honestly don't think either of you want to hurt him, like you're doing already! Look at yourselves. Henry organized all of this, and you're ruining it! Gods..." She snarled, and turned away quickly, taking a few deep breaths and calming herself. She then sighed and said, "Look, just think about it. In the meantime, I really do need to get back to the diner. We probably have a handful of people already waiting for us, but you know we just had to do a personal delivery for you all."

They all watched as Ruby walked out, waiting for the door to shut, before Mary Margret and Regina both practically slid off their chairs, taking the pies into the kitchen to cut them, neither looking at each other and both looking like they'd rather not be seen by anyone.

Everyone else sat there uncomfortably, before Henry finally looked at Neil and said, "So, sweet potato pie? What's that taste like?"

Neil perked up and said, "Well, it tastes a lot like pumpkin actually, but with a little bit of a spicy taste to it. It's hard to really describe it beyond that, but I'll tell you what. If you want to know what it's like, I'll cut the biggest slice for you."

Henry smiled and said a little shyly, "That's okay. I mean, what if I don't like it? It would be dumb to let a big piece of pie go to waste."

Neil smiled slyly, looking at Emma and saying, "That's okay. I know your mom loves the stuff."

Emma, mid drink, did a big spit take before turning bright red and turning to her ex, trying to kick her mother's empty chair at him. "NEIL!"

Charming and Gold both just hid their faces behind their hands, absolutely flabbergasted. When they finally had some composure back, they both looked at Henry, who seemed to be mystified, and both sighed in relief.

That's when Neil got up, heading to the kitchen as Regina and Snow walked out, both looking significantly happier. They sat down and Snow readjusted her seat. A short time later Neil rejoined the group.

Regina stood up, smiling, clapping her hands together. "So, yeah, crazy day huh? I just wanted to say that I apolo..." Before finished, she was cut off to the sound of someone passing by the house slowly, blasting dubstep loud enough to make the windows shake. She waited for them to pass and then said, clearly no longer happy, "Who the hell was that?!"

Emma shook her head, then looked at Neil, who was twiddling his thumbs and trying to look innocent.

Snow was the one to say something though. "I think he knows a little something."

Regina's eyes narrowed at Neil and she growled out, "Well?"

Neil whistled, still trying to act innocent, when Gold shook his head and said, "Son, just answer the woman."

Neil finally sighed and said, "It's Tamara. She didn't want me to come and she's been doing this all day, I think to try to get me to leave. I tried to tell her that she wouldn't be able to stop me, but she wouldn't listen. I don't know if she's mad at me, or upset at Henry for not inviting her."

Henry pouted, mumbling, "What exactly did you tell her?"

Neil looked apologetic and said, "Simply put, that we aren't married yet so she's technically not family."

Henry nodded. "Yeah, but I thought she would have been okay with that."

Neil shook his head and said, "I don't know what it is, but she hasn't been happy lately."

Regina sat back down, but still with a dark expression. "Okay, fine." She turned to Emma and said, "You're the sheriff. We pay you to handle situations like this. Why haven't you issued her a citation for breaking the sound ordinance?"

Emma, tired of waiting for the pie, took a slice of sweet potato and traded Henry his plate for it, before taking one for herself. "Simply put...it's a holiday. I don't want to work on a holiday."

Regina looked none too pleased and said, "I get that, but you're the only law enforcement in the town. And your father doesn't count since he was only a fill in. We never officially deputized him. In other words, you don't get a day off. So either you or Neil need to take care of this, or else I will..."

As if on command, the same annoying blaring sitting outside, only this time worse as the song was in the middle of a bass drop, the walls rattling. Emma now looked like she had enough, as she got up and walked towards her bedroom, grabbing her badge, revolver, and her ticket pad as she stepped out, Neil running after her. "EMMA! DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID! LET ME HANDLE IT!" He was soon followed by Regina, whose hand looked like it was about to spark at any moment.

The entire crowd rushed to the window, opening it so they could listen in.

Emma stood in the driveway flashing the badge as Tamara pulled in. It was hard to hear over the noise, but they could all distinctly hear Emma screaming out, "TURN THAT SHIT DOWN! TURN IT DOWN NOW, OR ELSE I PROMISE YOU I WILL FUCK YOUR ENTIRE SOUND SYSTEM UP!"

Tamara hopped out of the car, glaring at Emma and screaming, "WHAT'RE YOU GOING TO DO?"

That's when Emma turned to Neil, handing him the ticket pad and opening it towards the back, and snarkily replying, "It's not what I'm going to do, it's what he's doing to do, because as of right now, I'm temporarily deputizing him."

Tamara glared at Neil, her lip trembling. "You wouldn't."

Neil shrugged and said, "Actually, if you're going to keep trying to get us intentionally ran out of town, I will."

Tamara sighed, and reached into the car and turned the stereo down.

Emma smiled and then said, much more calmly, "Look, if you wanted to talk, you didn't have to go through all this annoyance to do it. What exactly are you mad about."

Tamara sighed and said, "You really wouldn't understand. Part of it's personal, but part of it involves some people I've been working for. They've been on my back lately, and this extended stay away isn't helping matters. Add to that the fact that I'm going to be Henry's stepmom and he can't even be bothered to invite me?"

Neil said softly to her, "Babe, it's nothing personal against you. I haven't put a ring on you yet. It's that simple. That, and he hasn't had the time to get to trust you yet. Hell, I feel lucky that he invited me. I really do think the only reason I'm here is because I'm blood. Otherwise, it would be you and I eating all of Ruby's food tonight."

Tamara looked at him softly and said, "I know, it just stings. Look, I'll leave you guys alone for right now. Just get back soon, okay?"

Neil nodded as she got in her car and drove off. Emma let Neil take the lead back in as Regina walked side by side with her, whispering, " ...I don't trust her as far the the Giant could throw her. These people she 'works for'...something about the way she said that just made me uncomfortable. We're going to have to keep a close eye one her."

Emma whispered back, "I know. Let's not think about it too much now. Let's at least try to give Henry the night he wanted."

Regina nodded, as the both walked back in.


	4. Save the World Tonight

Chapter 4: Save the World Tonight

As they made their way back inside after the confrontation with Tamara, Regina asked, "By the way, what the hell was that infernal racket she was playing?!"

Neal sighed and said, "That...that was Skrillex. I'm sure that means nothing to you, but he's this emo scenster kid with this weird haircut that's trying to pass himself off as a dubstep artist but can't make actual dubstep. And he sucks a bag of di...well, he just sucks, let's say that."

Emma shook her head as they walked through the door and said, "I didn't pin Tamara as a dubstep fan."

Neal plopped down on the couch and let out an exasperated groan as he said, "She's not. She's an R&B and trap music fan. But if you want to really annoy the heck out of people, why not play the guy that confuses dance music with Japanese noise music?"

Everyone turned to Regina, who was standing there with a dumbfounded expression, as though everything Emma and Neal were talking about was flying over her head. Neal asked her, "What?"

Regina shook her head, still clearly confused and said, "I'm sorry, but I have no clue what anything you just said actually is."

Neal smiled like a professor before a captivated class and said, "You know, I got my iPod with me. I could just show you. But if not, well, trap music is a kind of hip hop. Dubstep is a kind of dance music with roots in UK 2-step garage and drum and bass. The good stuff, the not-Skrillex stuff, tends to be atmospheric, reggae-esque, and darkly melodic, and it's all largely based on deep, rumbling sub-bass and sparse half-step drums. Not sure that helps any, but there you go."

Regina shook her head and said, "Yeah, not a huge help. I'm not really a dance music fan. I mean...well...not the same kind of dance music you mean."

Neal nodded and asked, "Okay, so what exactly do you listen to?"

Henry just sorta blurted out, "There's a lot of Beethovan, Mozart, John Dowland, Monteverdi, that sort of stuff."

Neal nodded. "Okay, that makes sense. The Queen would listen to the stuff that would remind her of court music. So, any secret passions?"

Regina blushed and said, "Yeah. I listen to a little heavy metal when no one else is home."

Emma giggled like a school girl at that, and Regina glared at her. "You listen to Dropkick Murphys."

Emma kept giggling. "Of course. I'm from Boston. Everyone in Boston listens to the Dropkick Murphys! But you...and metal?"

Regina shook her head and said, "That's so wrong with that?"

Emma wiped a tear from her eyes, finally calming down. "You want me to be honest with you? You're too classy for it. I'm the street kid. It makes sense for me to like rock and roll of all kinds. But you're a queen, not a gutter punk."

Neal took the lead again and said, "No, it actually makes sense to me. What is metal except a projection of power? What is magic except a projection of power? What is royalty except the lawful expression of power? Isn't that Regina in a nutshell?" He crossed his arms, thinking, then said, "You know, this music discussion gave me an idea for how to end the night."

Emma crossed her arms too, wanting to hear this. "Yeah?"

Neal smiled. "How about a dance?"

Everyone seemed a little surprised that he was the one suggesting it, but soon Snow smiled and exclaimed, "That's a wonderful idea! But...what..."

Neal looked at her and asked, "You have a stereo, right?"

Snow nodded.

"Well, let's see what you got by way of records."

Charming was already down the hall, digging into a coat closet and hauling out a box of albums. He brought it out and Neal started thumbing through it. "Wow, vinyl. Nice."

Neal turned to Henry and grinned. "You know, when your mom and I were together, we used to go clubbing a lot! She may not look like it, but she's pretty good at almost everything. She can't like break or liquid dance or anything like that, but she can grind, she an rave, and she can slow dance. And I'm more than sure that both your grandma and Regina know how to at least ballroom dance. So, have you learned how to dance yet?"

Henry blushed and stuttered out, "...I...I've never...really had reason...to...no."

Neal grinned deeper, turning to Gold, who was already waltzing with Belle, then back to Henry. "You know, you're almost to that age where girls are going to start looking different to you and school dances are going to become a big thing. And given that everyone else in here can dance, I don't think it's right for you to be left out. So, we're going to correct that...or, has some little thing already caught your eye?"

Emma grinned and patted Henry on the head and said, "You don't have to be shy about it. Is there? It's Grace, isn't it?"

Regina smiled proudly, trying to shut down the voice in the back of her mind screaming at her to put a stop to it if true, because she needed to be in control of the situation. "Henry?"

Henry turned beat red, hiding his face with his hands and meeping.

Emma smiled and said, "It's okay. She's a good girl, and Jefferson is a pretty interesting guy."

Regina shook her head said, "Now, let's not marry him off just yet. Let the boy have some time to court her first."

Snow beamed at everyone musing, "You're just worried about having Jefferson over for one of these in a few years. I wouldn't. He's a sweetheart. You know what's really bothering you? You have a conscience."

Regina glared, but she couldn't really deny it.

Neal stopped and then exclaimed, looking at Snow in surprise, "Depeche Mode?! Really?"

Charming slowly raised his hand.

Neal looked at him and nodded. "Okay, that makes a lot more sense. This is perfect though. I know the right song for off of this and everything. Okay, pair up."

He walked over to where Snow was pointing her stereo out, waving Emma over, his father already paired off with Belle and Snow with Charming. That left Henry with Regina, Henry looking at him a little nervously but he nodded to him. "Go on. It's okay."

Henry sighed, Regina embracing him and whispering, "Don't worry about stepping on my feet. Just try to follow when I move, and stop when I stop. You'll pick it up pretty quickly."

One everyone was set, Neal dropped the needle right onto "Enjoy the Silence".

Charming held Snow close to himself as he whispered the lyrics while they slow danced, both moving with a natural grace that almost made everyone else stop and take notice to the purity of their love, displayed in the artistry of movement.

"Words like violence  
Break the silence  
Come crashing in, into my little world  
Painful to me  
Pierce right through me  
Can't you understand  
Oh my little girl.

All I ever wanted  
All I ever needed  
Is here in my arms  
Words are very unnecessary  
They can only do harm

Vows are spoken  
To be broken  
Feelings are intense  
Words are trivial  
Pleasures remain  
So does the pain  
Words are meaningless  
And forgettable

All I ever wanted  
All I ever needed  
Is here in my arms  
Words are very unnecessary  
They can only do harm"

At the end of the song, everyone stopped to watch them kiss a kiss that sent them both sprawling onto the floor, giggling happily.

2 hours later

Everyone else was sitting down, just listening to the music and just enjoying the atmosphere, while watching Regina patiently drilling Henry's dancing. They all could feel the swell of maternal pride coming from her, which they all thought was different but welcome.

"ONE-two-THREE, ONE-two-THREE! There you go, Henry. Now you're getting it. See, it's all about rhythm. Once you find the beat of the music, you just rise when the beat does, and fall when it falls. It's going to take some time to start hearing those patterns, but once you do, the steps will come naturally."

Neal stared into Emma's eyes, a mischievous grin on his face. "Hey, I have to go pretty soon, but if you want to get back at Tamara, I have an idea."

Emma's eyes widened, a wicked look on her own face. "What do you have in mind?"

Neal smugly said, "I can jury rig the speakers into my iPod. We can drag them up to the roof and through a block party. That should raise everyone's spirits."

Snow yawned and said, "Henry said this is a family thing. Besides, I'm too tired to carry those speakers onto the roof."

Neal shook his head and said, "My dad or Regina could just magic them up there, couldn't they?"

Regina shook her own head. "It's your idea. You do it yourself."

He stood up, unplugging the speakers from the stereo and stopping Henry mid-step, which made Regina turned to him in annoyance. "I didn't mean to actually do it!"

Neal shrugged. "I know. I already had my mind made up anyways..."

It took a few minutes to get everything set up, but sure enough a crowd had already started growing around the apartment by the time Neal was scrolling through the iPod, grinning as he turned to Emma and Snow as though he just knew they were going to enjoy this. He then turned to a still annoyed looking Regina and said to her, "Lighten up. You're going to enjoy this. I know you will."

He looked out at the crowd and waved at Tamara, how looked at him confused. He cranked the volume and suddenly Emma was beaming as she grabbed her mom and pulled her up, singing along as Swedish House Mafia's "Save the World" blared out.

"Into the streets, we're coming down  
We never sleep, Never get tired  
Through urban fields, and suburban life

Turn the crowd up now, We'll never back down  
Shoot down a skyline, watch it in primetime  
Turn up the love now, listen up now, turn up the love

Who's gonna save the world tonight?  
Who's gonna bring you back to life?  
We're gonna make it, you and I  
We're gonna Save The World tonight"

Snow smiled at her, then started joining in for the big "ooh oh" section as Emma started jumping up and down, fist pumping.

When the next verse kicked in, Snow followed Emma's lead as they both started belting the song out, everyone below watching in stunned amusement that was slowly turning into riotous euphoria.

"We're far from home, it's for the better  
What we dream, it's all that matters  
We're on our way, united

Turn the crowd up now, We'll never back down  
Shoot down a skyline, watch it in primetime  
Turn up the love now, listen up now, turn up the love

Who's gonna save the world tonight?  
Who's gonna bring you back to life?  
We're gonna make it, you and I  
We're gonna Save The World tonight"

This time when the big part came in, even Regina found herself nodding her head, sliding in beside Emma and Snow, who looked at her beaming. Meanwhile, Henry was blushing as he looked out over the crowd to see Grace pumping her fist too and smiling right at him.

Emma felt Neal kiss her on the back of her head as he quickly took his leave, soon joining Tamara outside.

Tamara sighed at him, saying in a rather nondescript way that was somewhere between bemused and annoyed, "So, you seem to have had some fun."

Neal grabbed her hand as they walked out of the crowd. "Yeah...family is such a messed up concept, but with mine I can't help but love it. We're characters."

He then spun her around into his arms, placing his forehead on hers and kissing her deeply. "And who knows, next year you may get to have some of the same fun with that bunch of wackos. After all, pretty soon you'll be family too..."

THE END


End file.
